Wired’s Most Anticipated Games of 2012

Assuming the world doesn’t end in 2012, here are the videogames we’re most looking forward to playing this year.

Although you may find this hard to believe, the editors of Wired and Ars Technica are gamers just like you. While we do our best to see through all the marketing spin, it’s tough to keep ourselves from salivating a little over upcoming games. It is entirely possible that we’ll discover a variety of new indie games that take up more of our gaming time in the coming year, but as of today our view of the future is clouded by all the sneak peeks of 2012’s blockbusters.

As with our list of the best games of 2011, editors of Wired magazine, Wired.com and Ars Technica have teamed up this year to present 19 games that we’re most looking forward to the most in the next 12 months. Then, each editor will add in a few personal picks. But first, the ground rules and caveats:

This year, we’ve tweaked the rules a little: Games with a “TBD” release date may now qualify if we have strong reason to believe they will come out in 2012. (Call it the Diablo III rule.)

Only games that have not yet been released in any country were eligible. (Rhythm Heaven Fever for Wii is incredibly good, but it’s hard to anticipate something that’s already available.)

As with last year’s list, one or more of these will almost surely end up in our inevitable roundup of 2012's most disappointing games. And several will almost surely be delayed into 2013. We wish we knew which ones, so we could give you a heads up. But we don't.

Borderlands 2

What it is: The sequel to Gearbox’s orgy of excess.

Why we’re excited: The idea of taking an expansive RPG-style loot system and using it to fill a game with piles of interesting guns was amazing. Along with the cartoonish style of the graphics and striking cover art, it helped set the game apart. The promise of more guns, vehicles, and a dynamic quest system is enough to get us excited about the sequel. Our one note: Maybe give the game an actual ending this time?

Where, when: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC; Summer 2012

—Ben Kuchera

Image: 2K Games

Diablo III

What it is: The latest and greatest point-and-loot addiction machine from Blizzard.

Why we’re excited: It’s a new Diablo. Duh. Beyond the duhs, there will be a real-money market where players can buy items, gold, and even characters from other players. (Blizzard is merely taking a cut and not selling anything itself.) Will people buy? Hell yes. Can you quit your day job? Will it ruin gaming?

Where, when: PC, Macintosh; TBD

—Marty Cortinas

Image: Blizzard

Grand Theft Auto V

What it is: The next entry in the quintessential open-world series is set in Los Santos, a parody of Los Angeles, California.

Why we’re excited: The extensive first trailer that Rockstar revealed earlier this year suggests a game far along in development, so it’s likely we’ll see it in 2012. The brief images of downtrodden homeless and migrant workers suggest a game packed full of biting political commentary, and we’re anxious to see what Rockstar has in store this time.

Where, when: TBD; TBD

—Chris Kohler

Image: Rockstar

Halo 4

What it is: The first major release in the Halo series to be produced without the involvement of Bungie.

Why we’re excited: Microsoft’s new 343 Industries division has shown that it can create map packs and re-releases like Halo Anniversary that are well-received by fans. Now it’s time to see if it’s up to the challenge of creating the next entry in Microsoft’s single most important gaming franchise. The stakes are high, which is why we’re all watching this one closely.

Where, when: Xbox 360; Holiday 2012

—Chris Kohler

Image: Microsoft

Journey

What it is: A online game of exploration from thatgamecompany, creator of indie hit Flower.

Why we’re excited:Journeyseems like a profoundly different sort...wait, is anyone else getting a sense of deja vu? Of course! We had Journey pegged as one of our most anticipated games last year. After a limited beta test in 2011, Journey is finally going to be released in 2012, which means we’ve been waiting to traverse the desert with anonymous online partners for two years now. Needless to say, all that waiting hasn’t diminished our enthusiasm one bit.

Where, when: PlayStation 3; Spring 2012

—Daniel Feit

Image: Sony

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

What it is: A fantasy role-playing game developed by author R.A. Salvatore, cartoonist Todd McFarlane and Morrowind lead designer Ken Rolston, all under the auspices of Red Sox pitcher cum RPG entrepreneur Curt Schilling.

Why we’re excited: Original single-player games are rare these days, so it’s nice to see Electronic Arts taking a risk on a brand new world. With combat inspired by God of War and what Schilling says is a quest system stuffed to the brim with narrative choices, Amalur should get here just in time to give burnt-out Skyrim players a shiny new playground to explore.

Where, when: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC; February 7, 2012

—Jason Schreier

Image: EA

The Last Guardian

What it is: The long-delayed followup to Sony’s Ico and Shadow of the Colossus.

Why we’re excited: This game has been delayed indefinitely and its creative director Fumito Ueda has left Sony, although he is finishing the game on a contract basis. But we were so in love with his previous works that we’re holding out hope that this one can weather the storm.

Where, when: PlayStation 3, TBD

—Chris Kohler

Image: Sony

Mass Effect 3

What it is: The final piece to BioWare’s sci-fi RPG trilogy.

Why we’re excited: The best sci-fi RPG reaches its climax. (Yes, I know the same developer is currently enmeshed in the Star Wars universe; Mass Effect is the best sci-fi RPG.) We get one more go-round with our own version of Commander Shepard, which includes various relations with aliens: combat, political, and amorous. What’s not to love? Best of all, you’ll finally be able to safely ditch that saved game that you’ve been carefully guarding for the last two years.

Where, when: PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3; March 6, 2012

—Marty Cortinas

Image: EA

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

What it is: An action-based spinoff of Konami’s stealth series, developed in conjunction with Platinum Games (Bayonetta).

Why we’re excited: Platinum has a great track record so far, meaning that this long-delayed game’s disappearance and re-emergence as an outsourced spinoff gives us more confidence in its eventual quality.

Where, when: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3; TBD 2012

—Chris Kohler

Image: Konami

Prey 2

What it is: Human Head's 90-degree turn away from the original Prey, creating the open-world shooter that Philip K. Dick would make.

Why we’re excited: Because the demo that we saw last year came as a complete—and joyous—surprise. Sporting a clear Blade Runner influence, Prey 2 puts you in the shoes of a human bounty hunter on an alien planet, tracking down fugitives and generally wreaking havoc as only a human on an alien planet can. There's some nice verticality built into the game's design, and even though we don't know much more than we did six months ago, we're still looking forward to seeing where the studio goes with it.

Where, when: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Windows; Summer 2012

—Peter Rubin

Image: Bethesda

Resident Evil: Revelations

What it is: The first proper entry in Capcom’s survival horror series since 2009’s Resident Evil 5.

Why we’re excited:Resident Evil 5’s cooperative slaughterfest was amusing, but Revelations looks to dial back the bullets in favor of what made the series famous and defined the genre: Exploring a creepy location (in this case, it’s a boat) full of things that go bump in the night. Action fans can still look forward to the bonus “Raid Mode” that allows for two-player zombie slaughter. Another perk: Revelations is easily the best-looking game in the nascent 3DS library.

Where, when: Nintendo 3DS; February 7, 2012

—Daniel Feit

Image: Capcom

Sound Shapes

What it is: A musical platformer from Jonathan Mak, creator of the brilliant Everyday Shooter.

Why we’re excited: Don't let the visuals fool you. It looks like a series of abstract, tightly designed 2-D platformer levels. But you’re actually looking at musical notation. All of the onscreen elements generate the accompanying musical soundtrack. Once you complete the scores of predesigned levels, you can design your own or play the creations of other fans. With its addictive gameplay, beautiful visuals and unique audio, this game looks to do for the PS Vita what Lumines did for the original PSP.

Where, when: PlayStation Vita; TBD 2012

—Chris Baker

Image: Sony

South Park

What it is: The creator of Fallout: New Vegas is at the helm of this RPG written by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone.

Why we’re excited: From Hollywood to Broadway, Parker and Stone have accumulated a near-flawless track record of hilarious hits. Though their direct involvement with the South Park RPG doesn’t ensure that it will be great, we have a whole lot of faith in both their writing chops and Obsidian’s talent. Plus, one of the character classes is “Jew.”

Tomb Raider

What it is: The continuation of the long-running but uneven Tomb Raider series.

Why we’re excited: Lara Croft may have fallen on some hard times in recent games, but what we've seen and the tiny amount we've played of the newest Tomb Raider was more than enough to give us faith in the franchise and character yet again. This game operates as both a reboot and a prequel, putting Lara through torturous events as she hardens into the adventurer we all know and love. This is a ride we can't wait to take.

Twisted Metal

What it is: The latest installment in the chaotic, macabre car combat franchise that dates back to PlayStation One..

Why we’re excited: Imagine a bizarro version of Mario Kart where every player has a stash of blue shells. Imagine a bizarro version of Burnout Paradise that lets players fire bazookas and hurl flaming chainsaws at each other. The Twisted Metal franchise's uniquely frenetic form of ultraviolet multiplayer mayhem finally gets a hi-def makeover and a raft of killicious new weapons. (Rat rockets! Blood missiles!) When this game is released, I will kill Kohler many many times. But before that, I will ask him to play some Twisted Metal with me.

Where, when: PlayStation 3; February 14, 2012

—Chris Baker

Image: Sony

Unannounced Wii U Game

What it is: Some launch title for Nintendo’s upcoming console that we haven’t heard of yet.

Why we’re excited: Nintendo only showed brief technical demos when it debuted Wii U at last year’s E3. Surely the touchscreen-controlled console will have some riveting new adventure, whether a Mario or a Zelda or something as yet unimagined, when it is released in the latter half of the year. What that is exactly, we have no idea. But we’re looking forward to trying it out anyway.

Where, when: Wii U, 2nd Half 2012

—Chris Kohler

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

XCOM

What it is: The rebirth of a dormant classic strategy franchise, now a hybrid strategy-shooter.

Why we’re excited: The 2K Marin development studio did a bang-up job with BioShock 2, so XCOM, set against an alien invasion in the 1960’s, may be just as intriguing. Creative director Jordan Thomas told GayGamer last year that one of the main characters is “a closeted homosexual” and that the player “can basically decide how to treat him.” A lightning rod of a plot point, to be sure, but if handled with aplomb it could be quite a memorable story.

Where, when: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Windows; March 6, 2012

—Chris Kohler

Image: 2K Games

Editors’ Personal Picks

Daniel Feit, contributor, Game|Life

Gravity Rush: PlayStation Vita has just come out in Japan and the only upcoming game me and my fellow Vita owners seem to care about is this action game in which players can suspend gravity and then launch their character onto any surface. Loving the stylized graphics and unconventional European setting.

Kid Icarus: Uprising: The 3DS revival of a long-dormant Nintendo franchise drops the platforming of the original in favor of non-stop shooting action. We thought it was coming in 2011 but a delay now has it set for March.

Lollipop Chainsaw (above): The next action game from punk rock designer Suda 51 (Shadows of the Damned) looks like a doozy: a cheerleader slashing zombies in a high school with a chainsaw. Between Suda’s distinctive style and horror writer James Gunn’s script, expect lots of tongue-in-cheek black humor layered atop the action.

Ben Kuchera, gaming editor, Ars Technica

Metro: Last Light: THQ’s original first-person look at a post-apocalyptic Moscow was a cult hit, but the weak shooting elements and bumpy difficulty made it hard to love. The team promises they’ve learned from their mistakes and will keep what made the original special while fixing the annoyances.

Max Payne 3: It’s been years since we’ve been a guest in the world of Max Payne, but with two well-respected entries in the series and a lead character with such high name recognition our hopes are high. Although perhaps that’s more faith than anything else at this point.

Chris Kohler, editor, Game|Life

Rhythm Thief & The Emperor’s Treasure: With Elite Beat Agents 3D currently only existing in my fevered imagination, I need a good portable music game to keep me tapping my feet like a crazy person on the bus. Sega’s 3DS story of a debonair thief and his adorable dog seemed to fit the bill when I played it at Tokyo Game Show.

Luigi’s Mansion 2: Yes, it would have made a bit more sense on Wii. But with a serious 3DS software drought, I’m thankful that Luigi has returned to ghostbusting after a decade of letting poltergeists roam free and unvacuumed. Its absence from Nintendo’s Q1 release calendar means we’ll be waiting a bit longer than we initially thought.

Escape Plan: This multi-character environmental puzzle game, reminiscent of The Lost Vikings or Goblins!, is one of the most intriguing PlayStation Vita games. The black-and-white presentation and mix of dark humor with cute characters is right up my alley, and it uses the front and rear touch panels for puzzle-solving.

Peter Rubin, senior editor, Wired magazine

Gotham City Impostors (above): As much as I loved Batman: Arkham City, I also recognize that everything that made that game so incredible—ceaseless brooding, undiluted singleplayer campaign, and visceral hand-to-hand combat—would also be incredible if it were the complete opposite. This cartoonish 6v6 shooter, which pits two teams of bumbling wannabe superheros Team Fortressing each other all over Gotham in broad daylight (yes, kids, Gotham has picnic weather). Thanks to customizable weapons, gadgets, and costumes, the only thing missing seems to be Catwoman's callipygian perfection, but I’m hoping for a Day 1 patch.

Far Cry 3: Escape a lush tropical island filled with psychotic rebels might not sound like the most original gaming trope, but you forgot about the majestically unsettling soliloquy that gave FC3's E3 demo its buzz. I've got your back, Geek Dad!

Street Fighter X Tekken: I'm not that heavy into fighting games—I thought Marvel vs. Capcom 3 was going to give me a seizure—but even I can recognize the tectonic significance of this crossover. And after seeing how Capcom is using Street Fighter's 2-D orthodoxy to balance Tekken's idiosyncratic playspace and simpler combos, I might just be willing to humiliate myself online.

Jason Schreier, contributor, Game|Life

Paper Mario: Blending Mario’s goofy bounces with the questing structure of a traditional RPG, this hybrid series has long ranked among my favorites. We don’t know much about the 3DS incarnation yet, but I expect it to be packed with bizarre humor and three-dimensional two-dimensional characters.

Suikoden: As Game|Life’s resident Suikoden nut, I was ecstatic to hear that Konami will drop another entry in the long-running RPG series on PSP. It’s not Suikoden VI, but as long as I get to build a castle and put together an army of motley soldiers to battle near-insurmountable odds, I’ll probably be happy.

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Though I wasn’t sold on this oddly titled 3DS rhythm game when Square Enix first announced it (in fact, I believe I mercilessly ripped it apart), the concept has grown on me. If there’s any series with music powerful enough to get the Elite Beat Agents treatment, it’s Final Fantasy. Here’s hoping it features the soothing harmonies of “So You Think You Can Ride This Chocobo.”